Document Handler System and Method with Timed Operation

ABSTRACT

A document handler system and method includes timed operation functionality in which the manufacturer of the document handler may input coded information in the document handler to establish a timed operation of the document handler which may be contingent on continued payments for use of the document handler. Alternatively, or in addition, the timed operation may be used to establish an appropriate warranty period during which the manufacturer is obligated to provide repairs, modification and/or support for the document handler.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No.16/911,157, filed Jun. 24, 2020, which is a continuation of U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 16/777,769, filed Jan. 30, 2020, now U.S. Pat. No.10,733,585, which is continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No.15/665,353, filed Jul. 31, 2017, now U.S. Pat. No. 10,643,194, which isa continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 14/033,440, filedSep. 21, 2013, now U.S. Pat. No. 9,721,241, the contents of which areincorporated by reference as if fully disclosed herein.

COPYRIGHT NOTICE

Portions of this disclosure contain material in which copyright isclaimed by the applicant. The applicant has no objection to the copyingof this material in the course of making copies of the application fileor any patents that may issue on the application, but all other rightswhatsoever in the copyrighted material are reserved.

BACKGROUND

Document handlers have been in use in electronic gaming machines(“EGMs”), vending machines, automated teller machines (“ATMs”) and otherdevices for some time. The document handler may be sold for use in thesedevices as an integrated component or as a separate product that may beinstalled upon purchase. A typical configuration of a document handlerfor these types of devices has a front operation panel through whichdocuments such as bills or tickets are deposited and from which bills ortickets are dispensed. Once inserted, the document is introduced to oneor more validators for validating authenticity, denomination anddefacement of the document and for being counted. The document is thenrouted to one of potentially multiple cashboxes for storage, a rejectsafe for collecting defaced, rejected or non-recyclable documents or oneof a group of escrow reservations for temporarily accumulatingdocuments, stowing the documents into the cashboxes and picking outbills of a designated amount from the cashboxes for payment. Thedocument handler also includes a set of serial passageways fortransporting documents one by one among the front operation panel,validators, cashboxes, reject safe and escrow reservations. These serialpassageways are typically implemented as a bidirectional path fortransporting documents guided along the bidirectional path in theforward and reverse directions. One or more unidirectional paths arealso used for transporting documents guided along the unidirectionalpath in a single direction.

Document handlers are also known to use stackers to stack bills ofdifferent denominations. The stackers are fitted with bill conveyors fortransporting bills into and out of the stackers along a channel forguiding bills. A bill conveyor has a door that may be opened and closedby rotating the door about a pivot provided at one end of the channel sothat the door is closed to form the channel, and it is opened to providean approach from outside a space for forming the channel.

In EGM applications, document handlers are set up to also accept printedtickets that hold monetary value and may be inserted into an EGM. Onceinserted, the document handler reads a code on the ticket to determine amonetary value associated with the ticket. The code (e.g. a bar code) isstored in a system to which the EGM is connected on a network in agaming establishment. If the code is confirmed as a valid code in acommunication exchange between the EGM or the document handler and thesystem, the value of the code is converted to credits and added to thecredit meter on the EGM so that the credits are available to the playerto play games on the EGM. Once a player has completed a session of gameplay on the EGM, he may “cash-out” any remaining credits, in which casea new ticket is printed by a ticket printer which may typically belocated inside the EGM, but may also be located outside the EGM, eithernearby the EGM or at a remote location. The ticket includes a variety ofinformation such as the value associated with the ticket, a code that isunique to the ticket for security purposes and so that the ticket can betracked, the date, the name of the gaming establishment issuing theticket and any other information that the gaming establishment maydesire to place on the ticket. The code is stored in the system so thatit may be confirmed when the ticket is presented for use at an EGM or ata cashier station to be converted to cash.

As stated above, document handlers are usually sold as an integratedcomponent in a device such as an EGM, ATM, vending machine or changekiosk. Alternatively, a document handler may be sold as a stand-alonedevice and then placed inside of a device by the purchaser. In eithercase, a sale price is set for the document handler and it is soldwithout any limitations on its operation when commercially placed. Insome instances, sales of document handlers may be made with financingterms where payments are made over time with interest included in thepayments. In such cases, it is not uncommon for the seller of thedocument handler to make a sale but then for the purchaser to fail tomake payments. In addition, it is difficult to track warranty periodsfor a document handler that may have a certain manufacture date, butwhich is not actually placed into operation until a later date. In thosecases, establishing the expiration date for the warranty may bedifficult. For these reasons, it is desirable to provide a documenthandler that may have a timed operation which can be controlled throughactivation upon the sale of the document handler or at a later time.

The present invention is a document handler with timed operationfunctionality in which the manufacturer of the document handler mayinput coded information in the document handler to establish a timedoperation of the document handler which may be contingent on continuedpayments for use of the document handler. Alternatively, or in addition,the timed operation may be used to establish an appropriate warrantyperiod during which the manufacturer is obligated to provide repairs,modification and/or support for the document handler.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

For a better understanding of the present invention, and to show moreclearly how it functions, reference will now be made, by way of example,to the accompanying drawings. The drawings show embodiments of thepresent invention in which:

FIG. 1 is a sectional view showing a document handler;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a storage that may be removably attachedto the document handler shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the storage shown in FIG. 2 withdeflection levers in the closed position;

FIG. 4 is a sectional view showing a first gear train of a main conveyorin a document handler;

FIG. 5 is a sectional view showing a second gear train for stowingdocuments into a container in a document handler;

FIG. 6 is a sectional view showing a stack conveyor in the storage inseparable driving connection to a reversible motor in the documenthandler;

FIG. 7 is a sectional view showing deflection levers in the closedposition for blocking communication between the storage and a mainpassageway;

FIG. 8 is a sectional view showing deflector levers in the open positionfor allowing communication between the storage and the main passageway.

FIG. 9 is a partial and longitudinal sectional view of the storage takenalong a plane transverse or perpendicular to a paper plane of FIG. 10;

FIG. 10 is a partial sectional view of the storage showing a conditionjust before stowing a document into the storage where the documentsupplied from the validator is supported on a support plate of thestorage;

FIG. 11 is a sectional view showing the document stowed in the storageby a pusher plate;

FIG. 12 is a partial sectional view taken along a plane transverse orperpendicular to a paper plane of FIG. 11;

FIG. 13 is a partial sectional view showing the document completelystowed into the storage;

FIG. 14 is a sectional view showing documents introduced into thestorage from the document validator;

FIG. 15 is a sectional view showing bills on a bottom plate in theelevated position to discharge and transport a document from the storagetoward the document validator;

FIG. 16 is a sectional view showing delivery and feed rollers rotated topick out a document from the storage toward the document validator;

FIG. 17 is a flow chart showing an operational sequence for stowing adocument into the storage;

FIG. 18 is a flow chart showing an operational sequence for discharginga document from the storage;

FIG. 19 is a block diagram showing the electronics of a documenthandler;

FIG. 20 is a sectional view illustrating an another embodiment of alifter shown in FIG. 9;

FIG. 21 is a perspective view illustrating an interior of the lifter inFIG. 20;

FIG. 22 is a perspective view illustrating a slanted bottom plate byoperation of the lifter shown in FIG. 20;

FIG. 23 is a system of electronic gaming machines on a network andconnected to an external system;

FIG. 24 is a gaming ticket for use in a system of electronic gamingmachines such as that shown in FIG. 23;

FIG. 25 is a timing ticket for activating or re-activating a documenthandler for a time period; and

FIG. 26 is a flow chart showing the steps for use of a timing ticket.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The present invention will now be described more fully with reference tothe accompanying drawings. It should be understood that the inventionmay be embodied in many different forms and should not be construed aslimited to the embodiments set forth herein. Throughout FIGS. 1-26 likeelements of the invention are referred to by the same reference numeralsfor consistency purposes. It should be understood that the terms “bill,”“paper currency,” “document” and “ticket” are all considered differenttypes of documents that may be handled by the document handler of thepresent invention and which are used throughout the specification andclaims herein. These terms may be interchanged where applicable, and theuse of a single one of these terms should not be construed to limit theinvention to any one type of document where the use of other types ofdocuments may be applicable.

FIG. 1 shows an embodiment of an examplary document handling device 1according to the present invention that includes a validator 2 having aframe 2 a, a stacker 3 having a storage 50 and an optional container 51,and a main conveyor 4 secured to frame 2 a of validator 2 fortransporting documents along a main passageway 6. Main passageway 6 isformed between validator 2 and storage 50 of stacker 3. Storage 50includes upper stacker 31 and lower stacker 32 having upper and lower(first and second) storage spaces 31 a and 32 a respectively. Storage 50may be removably attached to frame 2 a of validator 2. The embodiment ofthe present invention contemplates that stacker 3 includes storage 50for storing documents in an extractable manner, and a single or a groupof storage conveyors 5 for placing documents into storage 50 suppliedfrom validator 2 through main conveyor 4, and also for extractingdocuments stored in storage 50. Main conveyor 4 may also include areversible motor or motors 70 to which storage conveyors 5 in stacker 3may be in detachable and driving connection.

Validator 2 includes an inlet 20 for receiving documents, an outlet 21for discharging documents from a validation area of validator 2, avalidation passageway 22 a for guiding the document transported betweeninlet 20 and outlet 21, a validation conveyor 22 for transporting thedocument along validation passageway 22 a, a stack motor 24 in validator2 for driving a second gear train (a second power transmission) 69 (FIG.5) drivingly connected to gears 64, 65 in a container 51, an inletsensor 20 a for detecting the document inserted or dispensed, and anoutlet sensor 21 a for detecting the document discharged from thevalidation area. Validation conveyor 22 includes a conveyor motor 23, aconveyor belt 22 b driven by conveyor motor 23 for transporting thedocument along validation passageway 22 a, a set of pulleys 22 c withconveyor belt 22 b wound therearound, and a set of idle rollers 22 d incontact to conveyor belt 22 b for transporting the document whilediverting the direction of conveyor belt 22 b. Conveyor motor 23 alsoserves to drive a main conveyor belt 40 through a first gear train (afirst power transmission) 60 and a gear 26 (FIG. 4) to transport thedocument along a main passageway 6 in main conveyor 4. Provided alongvalidation passageway 22 a is a validation sensor 10 for detectingoptical or magnetic features of the document. As illustrated in FIG. 4,rotation power of conveyor motor 23 is transmitted from a gear 23 asecured on a drive shaft of conveyor motor 23 to first gear train 60. Asillustrated in FIG. 5, rotation power of stack motor 24 is transmittedfrom a gear 24 a secured on a drive shaft of stack motor 24 to secondgear train 69.

Outlet 21 of validation area in validator 2 feeds into validationpassageway 22 a formed in validator 2 and also into main passageway 6formed in main conveyor 4 disposed downstream of validator passageway 22a. As shown in FIG. 4, main conveyor 4 includes an outlet gear 26drivingly connected to first gear train 60, a driven gear 42 meshed withoutlet gear 26, a pulley 41 secured to driven gear 42, and main conveyorbelt 40 wound around pulleys 41, 43, 44, 45. Main conveyor belt 40 isalso wound around idle rollers 46, 47, 48 for applying tensional forceto main conveyor belt 40.

As shown in FIG. 2 and FIG. 3, stacker 3 includes a set of pinch rollers49, 49 a, 49 b rotatably mounted in stacker 3 and releasably pressedagainst main conveyor belt 40 on the opposite side of mating idlerollers 46, 47, 48 when stacker 3 is attached to validator 2. Thedocument exiting outlet 21 of validation passageway 22 a is sent to mainpassageway 6 of main conveyor 4, and then, grasped between main conveyorbelt 40 and pinch roller 49 to ensure transportation of the documentalong main passageway 6 toward storage 50 or container 51 of stacker 3during movement of main conveyor belt 40.

Disposed vertically under and adjacent to upper and lower stackers 31and 32 is container 51. Container 51 stores non-recyclable documents ofa single type or of different types. For example, printed tickets to beheld by an ECM may be deposited into container 51 since printed ticketswill not be re-used or dispensed by document handler 1 once accepted.Further, if stackers 31 and 32 have reached maximum capacity so that noadditional bills may be deposited into those stackers, additional billsmay be directed to container 51.

As shown in FIG. 5, an end gear 61 is engaged with second gear train 69in validator 2 and also interlocked with an upper gear 62 for powertransmission. A drive belt 68 is wound around an upper pulley 66 securedto pulley gear 62 and also around a lower pulley 67 secured to a lowergear 65. Rotation of drive belt 68 causes lower pulley 67 and gear 65 torotate to simultaneously further transmit the rotation force to a gear63 meshed with lower gear 65 and a container gear 64 rotatably mountedin container 51. Container gear 64 works with a container pulleyattached thereto (not shown in the drawings) and with a container beltwound around the container pulley to drive container pulley and beltthrough container gear 64 to deposit documents in container 51 sent viamain conveyor 4. When a document is transported by main conveyor 4 shownin FIG. 1 toward container 51, it passes a passage sensor 203 thatdetects a leading edge of the transported document to produce adetection signal that is sent to a control device (adiscrimination/conveyance controller) 200 that is one or more CPUs shownin FIG, 19, that then provides a drive signal for stack motor 24. Stackmotor 24 is rotated to drive the belt (not shown) in container 51 andintroduce the non-accessible document into container 51. After that,stack motor 24 is driven in the reverse direction to operate a stackmechanism (not shown) to store the non-accessible document in container51.

By way of example, the embodiment may rotate reversible motors 70 a, 70b in main conveyor 4 in a forward direction to drive storage conveyors 5and place a document fed from validator 2 into storage 50, and to thecontrary, it may rotate reversible motors 70 a, 70 b in the reversedirection to drive storage conveyors 5 and pick out documents receivedin upper and lower storage spaces 31 a and 32 a of upper and lowerstackers 31, 32 to transport and dispense them through main passageway 6from inlet 20 of validator 2.

In addition, as is apparent from FIG. 6, storage conveyor 5 comprisesupper and lower (first and second) reversible conveyors 53 and 54. Upperreversible conveyor 53 includes a follower gear 35 a detachably engagedwith drive gear 76 a driven by upper reversible motor 70 a in mainconveyor 4, and feed and delivery rollers 33 a, 34 b driven by followergear 35 a for transportation of documents into upper storage space 31 aof upper stacker 31. Likewise, lower reversible conveyor 54 includes afollower gear 35 b detachably engaged with a drive gear 76 b driven bylower reversible motor 70 b in main conveyor 4, and feed and deliveryrollers 33 b, 34 b driven by follower gear 35 b for transportingdocuments into lower storage space 32 a of lower stacker 32. Reversiblemotors 70 (collectively referred to herein), feed and delivery rollers33, 34, follower gears 35, drive gears 76 and pinch rollers 49 arerespectively reversible motors 70 a, 70 b, feed and delivery rollers 33a, 33 b, 34 a, 34 b, follower gears 35 a, 35 b, drive gears 76 a, 76 band pinch rollers 49 a, 49 b. In this way, reversible motors 70 may workwith or drive storage conveyors 5 drivingly connected to reversiblemotors 70, and storage conveyors 5 may be detached from reversiblemotors 70 when storage 50 is removed from validator 2. Accordingly, theweight of storage 50 may be reduced weight storage conveyors 5 dispensedocuments using their own power source.

In this configuration, storage conveyors 5 in stacker 3 are drivenbidirectionally by reversible motors 70, to drive each storage conveyor5 in the forward direction to store in upper or lower storage 31 a or 32a of upper or lower stacker 31 or 32 documents fed from validator 2, andto drive each storage conveyor 5 in the reverse direction in order toextract documents from upper or lower storage 31 a or 32 a of upper orlower stacker 31 or 32 and send it by main conveyor 4 to validator 2 tobe dispensed. When storage 50 is attached to validator 2, storageconveyors 5 in stacker 3 are automatically brought into drivingconnection to reversible motors 70 in main conveyor 4 to drive storageconveyors 5 systematically and organically or in conjunction withoperation of main conveyor 4. Also, as storage 50 is detachably attachedto frame 2 a of validator 2, it may be separated from validator 2 tocollect and count documents in upper and lower storage spaces 31 a and32 a of upper and lower stackers 31 and 32. In addition, after storage50 is removed from frame 2 a of validator 2, an operator may access mainconveyor 4 for maintenance, inspection and repair.

As shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, storage 50 includes a metallic or plasticcasing 30 for making up an outer shell of storage 50 removably fitwithin frame 2 a of validator 2, and upper and lower (first and second)stackers 31 and 32 respectively mounted vertically and immediatelyadjacent to each other at upper and lower portions in casing 30. Forexample, upper and lower stackers 31 and 32 may store documents of oneor more denominations in to be extracted from their upper and lowerstorage spaces 31 a and 32 a.

As illustrated in FIGS. 6 to 9, storage 50 comprises upper and lowerstackers 31 and 32 each of which has a storage conveyor 5 that includesfeed rollers 33 a, 33 b for placing documents from main passageway 6 inupper and lower stackers 31, 32, delivery rollers 34 a, 34 b forextracting documents from upper and lower stackers 31, 32 to mainpassageway 6, support plates 57 a, 57 b for defining upper or lowerstorage 31 a, 32 a for stored documents, bottom plates 55 a, 55 b forsupporting documents under support plates 57 a, 57 b, and pusher members56 a, 56 b arranged above support plates 57 a, 57 b for stowingdocuments into upper or lower storage 31 a, 32 a when support plates 57a, 57 b move upwards. In this description, bottom plates 55, supportplates 57 and pusher members 56 respectively typically denote upper andlower bottom plates 55 a, 55 b, upper and lower support plates 57 a, 57b and upper and lower pusher members 56 a, 56 b.

As shown in FIG. 1, upper and lower stackers 31, 32 have feed rollers 33a, 33 b in contact with main conveyor belt 40 to grasp a transporteddocument between feed rollers 33 a, 33 b and main conveyor belt 40.Reversible motors 70 a, 70 b are operated to simultaneously drive feedrollers 33 a, 33 b and delivery rollers 34 a, 34 b in upper and lowerstackers 31, 32.

As shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, 7 and 8 and 16 to 18, upper and lower stackers31, 32 each include upper and lower (first and second) deflection levers38 a and 38 b each movable between their open and closed positions.Specifically, upper and lower deflection levers 38 a and 38 b are in theopen position to guide a document supplied from validator 2 through mainpassageway 6 into upper and lower stackers 31, 32 and also to guide adocument discharged from upper and lower stackers 31, 32 through mainpassageway 6 to validator 2. Alternatively, upper and lower deflectionlevers 38 a and 38 b are in the closed position to block passage of adocument between upper or lower stacker 31, 32 and main passageway 6.While in the closed position, they are designed to neither project intomain passageway 6 nor to block a document from being stowed into theopen stacker or container 51, or a document from being extracted fromthe open stacker. Upper and lower deflection levers 38 a and 38 b areherein collectively referred to as deflection levers 38. Upper and lowerdeflection levers 38 a and 38 b are pivoted respectively around upperand lower shafts 38 c and 38 d for rotation between the open and closedpositions.

FIGS. 7 and 8 illustrate main conveyor 4 that includes an upper solenoid(a first actuator) 251 for shifting upper deflection lever 38 a betweenthe open and closed positions through an upper intermediate lever 253(FIG. 7) rotatably mounted around a shaft 260 attached to main conveyor4, a lower solenoid (a second actuator) 252 for shifting lowerdeflection lever 38 b between the open and closed positions through alower intermediate lever 254 rotatably mounted around a shaft 261attached to main conveyor 4, an upper spring 257 for resiliently urgingupper intermediate lever 253 toward an inoperative position toelastically push upper deflection lever 38 a toward the closed position,and a lower spring 258 for resiliently urging lower intermediate lever254 toward an inoperative position to elastically push lower deflectionlever 38 b toward the closed position. Attached at the bottom end ofupper intermediate lever 253 is an upper lever roller 255 in contact toupper deflection lever 38 a, and also, attached at the bottom end oflower intermediate lever 254 is a lower lever roller 256 in contact tolower deflection lever 38 b. Collectively referred herein to assolenoids 261, intermediate levers 262, springs 263 and lever rollers264 are respectively upper and lower solenoids 251 and 252, upper andlower intermediate levers 253 and 254, upper and lower springs 257 and258 and upper and lower lever rollers 255 and 256.

When upper solenoid 251 is activated, upper intermediate lever 253 isrotated in the clockwise direction around shaft 260 against resilientforce of upper spring 257, and simultaneously upper lever roller 255pushes upper lever end 38 e into upper storage space 31 a of upperstacker 31. This causes upper deflection lever 38 a to rotate aroundupper shaft 38 c in the clockwise direction from the dosed positionshown in FIG. 7 to the open position shown in FIGS. 1 and 8 so that atip of upper deflection lever 38 a comes into main passageway 6. In areverse direction, when upper solenoid 251 is deactivated, upperintermediate lever 253 is rotated in the counterclockwise directionaround shaft 260 by virtue of elastic force of upper spring 257 toseparate upper lever roller 255 from upper lever end 38 e; then, upperdeflection lever 38 a is rotated in the counterclockwise direction by anelastic force of a spring not shown from the open to the closedposition, and the tip of upper deflection lever 38 a is retracted out ofmain passageway 6 (FIG. 7).

In a similar manner, when lower solenoid 252 is activated, lowerintermediate lever 254 is rotated around shaft 261 in the clockwisedirection against elastic force of lower spring 258 so that lower leverroller 256 pushes lower lever end 38 f into lower storage space 32 a oflower stacker 32. This causes lower deflection lever 38 b to rotatearound upper shaft 38 c in the clockwise direction from the closed tothe open position so that a tip of lower deflection lever 38 b comesinto main passageway 6 (FIGS. 1 and 8). And in reverse, when lowersolenoid 252 is deactivated, intermediate lever 254 is rotated in thecounterclockwise direction around shaft 261 by virtue of elastic forceof lower spring 258 to separate upper lever roller 255 from upper leverend 38 e; then, lower deflection lever 38 b is rotated in thecounterclockwise direction by an elastic force of a spring not shownfrom the open to the closed position; and the tip of lower deflectionlever 38 b is retracted out of main passageway 6 (FIG. 7). In this way,upper and lower deflection levers 38 a and 38 b may be independentlyrotated between the closed and open positions by respective operation ofupper and lower solenoids 251 and 252. This arrangement may establishsimple contacts between upper lever end 38 e of upper deflection lever38 a and upper lever roller 255 and also between lower lever end 38 f oflower deflection lever 38 b and lower lever roller 256 to allow upperand lower deflection levers 38 a and 38 b to be separated from upper andlower solenoids 251 and 252, respectively, when storage 50 is removedfrom validator 2. Upper and lower deflection levers 38 a and 38 b areused to guide and extract documents into or out of upper and lowerstorage spaces 31 a and 32 a, respectively, of upper and lower stackers31 and 32. Collectively referred to herein as lever ends 38 g are upperand lower lever ends 38 e and 38 f.

FIG. 6 shows main conveyor 4 that includes a first gear train 91 ahaving an upper pinion 71 a mounted on an output shaft of an upperconveyor motor 70 a in upper stacker 31, an upper first gear 72 a meshedwith upper pinion 71 a, an upper second gear 74 a secured to upper firstgear 72 a for their integral rotation, an upper third gear 75 a meshedwith upper second gear 74 a, and an upper fourth gear 76 a meshed withupper third gear 75 a. Main conveyor 4 also has a second gear train 91 bthat similarly includes a lower pinion 71 b mounted on an output shaftof a lower conveyor motor 70 b in lower stacker 32, a lower first gear72 b meshed with lower pinion 71 b, a lower second gear 74 b secured tolower first gear 72 b for integral rotation, a lower third gear 75 bmeshed with lower second gear 74 b, and a lower fourth gear 76 b meshedwith lower third gear 75 b.

Upper stacker 31 has a first driven gear train 92 a that includes anupper follower gear 35 a detachably meshed with an upper drive gear 76a, an upper fourth gear 36 a meshed with upper follower gear 35 a, andan upper fifth gear 37 a meshed with upper fourth gear 36 a. Upper feedroller 33 a and delivery roller 34 a are integrally formed with upperintermediate and fifth gears 35 a and 37 a, respectively Likewise, lowerstacker 32 has a second driven gear train 92 b that includes a lowerfollower gear 35 b detachably meshed with a lower drive gear 76 b, alower fourth gear 36 b meshed with lower follower gear 35 b, and a lowerfifth gear 37 b meshed with lower fourth gear 36 b. Lower feed anddelivery rollers 33 b and 34 b are integrally formed with lowerintermediate and fifth gears 35 b and 37 b, respectively.

FIGS. 9 and 11 depict a lifter 180 attached to a side wall of a frame 2a in validator 2 for vertically moving support plates 57 a and 57 b instackers 31, 32 of storage 50 between lowered and elevated positions inaccordance with a vertical movement of a rod 83 in lifter 180. As shownin FIG. 9, lifter 180 includes a lifter motor 80 attached to validator2, a rotary disk 81 rotated by lifter motor 80, a pin 81 a attached atan eccentric position away from a central axis on rotary disk 81, a liftlever 82 rotatable around a shaft 82 a and formed with a notch 82 b forreceiving pin 81 a, a pin 83 a formed with rod 83 and received within anelongated hole 82 c bored at an end of lift lever 82, upper and lowersupport plates 57 a and 57 b integrally formed into a generally upsetH-shape in storage 50, a roller 58 formed on support plates 57 a and 57b and received within a cutout 83 b of rod 83, upper (first) and lower(second) bottom plates 55 a and 55 b each rotatable around shafts 55 c,55 d within upper and lower stackers 31 and 32, and upper and lowerpusher members 56 a and 56 b secured to casing 30 above related upperand lower support plates 57 a and 57 b each connected to upper and lowerbottom plates 55 a and 55 b through springs 59 a and 59 b.

When lift motor 80 is rotated in the forward direction, lift lever 82 isrotated in the clockwise direction around shaft 82 a through rotary disk81 to elevate rod 83. This causes support plates 57 to travel from thelower position shown in FIG. 9 toward stationary pusher members 56 a, 56b to the upper position shown in FIG. 11 along with rod 83 while springs59 a, 59 b are expanded against their resilient force with the rise ofrod 83 and support plates 57 to the upper position. Then, when adocument has been fully fed from feed rollers 33 a, 33 b onto supportplates 57 a, 57 b, they are elevated together with rod 83, and then, asillustrated in FIG. 12, pusher members 56 a, 56 b push and stow thedocument into support plates 57 a, 57 b onto bottom plates 55 a, 55 bagainst resilient force of springs 59 a, 59 b. After that, when liftmotor 80 further rotates in the forward direction, lift lever 82 rotatesin the counterclockwise direction to lower rod 82 and support plates 57a, 57 b in unison. As shown in FIG. 13, springs 59 a, 59 b arecontracted by their own elasticity while both sides of the document arelaid on bottom plates 55 a, 55 b

Now, stacking operations of documents will be described with referenceto the operational sequence of flow chart shown in FIG. 17. Processingmoves on from START in Step 100 to 101 where control device 200 decideson whether or not inlet sensor 20 a is turned on by insertion of adocument into inlet 20. When control device 200 receives a detectionsignal from inlet sensor 20 a upon a document insertion event, it causesconveyor motor 23 to rotate in the forward direction (in Step 102). Thedocument is transported along validation passageway 22 a by validationconveyor 22, and validation sensor 10 converts optical or magneticfeatures of the moving document into detection signals transmitted tocontrol device 200. Detection signals are received by control device 200from validation sensor 10 to [sic] and a decision is made at Step 103 onwhether the document is genuine or not. This determination may be eitherto validate currency that is inserted into document handler 1, or in thealternative, to determine whether an inserted ticket is valid. In thecase of currency, validation sensor 10 scans bill or ticket featuresincluding but not limited to optical and/or metallic features todetermine whether it is authentic. For a printed ticket, a code on theticket is read and document handler 1 communicates with a connectedsystem (see FIG. 23) to confirm that the detected code is authentic.

If the document in the form of a bill or a ticket is determined to begenuine, control device 200 then determines the denomination of thedocument if it is a bill (in Step 104). As documents that are bills ofdifferent denominations are stacked in upper and lower storage spaces 31a and 32 a of upper and lower stackers 31 and 32, control device 200selectively activates related upper or lower solenoid 251 or 252 (inStep 105) to selectively rotate upper or lower deflection lever 38 a or38 b from the closed to the open position. Then, control device 200rotates selectively upper or lower reversible motor 70 a or 70 b relatedto the selected denomination (in Step 106). Next, control device 200receives a detection signal from passage sensor 21 a to confirm that thedocument has passed through passage sensor 21 a (in Step 107), andfurther it determines (in Step 108) on whether a given period of timehas elapsed after passage of the document through passage sensor 21 a.Thus, the document, in this case a bill runs along upper or lowerdeflection lever 38 a or 38 b related to the bill denomination intoupper or lower stacker 31 or 32 onto support plate 57 a or 57 b, and so,control device 200 turns off driven upper or lower solenoid 251 or 252to rotate upper or lower deflection lever 38 a or 38 b from the open tothe closed position (in Step 109) by elastic force of spring not shown,and also control device 200 stops operation of driven upper or lowerreversible motor 70 a or 70 b (in Step 110).

After that, control device 200 activates lifter motor 80 (in Step 111)to move rod 83 from the lower position of FIG. 9 to the upper positionof FIG. 11. In Step 112, when a first lifter sensor 84 detects elevatedrod 83, it is turned on to produce a detection signal that istransmitted to control device 200. When upper and lower support plates57 a, 57 b are in the lower position of FIG. 10, control device 200detects turning-on of first lifter sensor 84 in Step 112, while one ofupper and lower support plates 57 a, 57 b supports the bill that is fed.When upper and lower support plates 57 a, 57 b are upwardly moved fromthe lower position to the upper position of FIG. 12, upper or lowerpusher member 56 a or 56 b forcibly stows the bill on upper or lowersupport plate 57 a, 57 b onto upper or lower bottom plate 55 a or 55 bwithin upper or lower stacker 31 or 32, and control device 200 detectsturning-on of a second lifter sensor 85 in Step 113. Processing moves onfrom Step 113 to 114 where control device 200 further activates liftermotor 80 to lower rod 83, and when first lifter sensor 84 detects rod 83in the lower position, control device 200 ceases operation of liftermotor 80 to finish the stowing operation of the bill as side edges ofthe bill are also in contact to bottom plate 55 as shown in FIG. 13.

When control device 200 determines that the bill is not genuine in Step103, processing goes on from Step 130 to 116 where control device 200drives conveyor motor 23 in the reverse direction to return the bill toinlet 20. The bill returned to inlet 20 turns on inlet sensor 20 a (inStep 117) so that control device 200 stops operation of conveyor motor23 (in Step 118). Subsequently, when an operator takes out the bill frominlet 20 (in Step 119), the process for returning the bill is complete.

Now, the payment operation of documents will be described with referenceto the operational sequence of flow chart shown in FIG. 18. From Step121 of START to 122, when control device 200 receives an instructionsignal to prepare for bill payment, it drives conveyor motor 23 in thereverse direction and at the same time turns on upper or lower solenoid251 or 252 related to upper or lower stacker 31 or 32 that storesdocuments, which in this case are bills of the denomination to bedispensed (in Step 123) to rotate upper or lower deflection lever 38 aor 38 b from the closed to the open position. Lifter motor 80 is thenrotated in the forward direction (in Step 124), rod 83 is moved upwardto sequentially turn on first and second lifter sensors 84 and 85 inSteps 126 and 127. Subsequently, when a given period of time has elapsedafter second lifter sensor 85 is turned on, control device 200 stopsoperation of lifter motor 80 (in Step 128) to maintain rod 83 in theelevated position of FIG. 11 so that upper and lower bottom plates 55 a,55 b are retained in the slant condition shown in FIG. 15. This causeseach uppermost one of the documents stored in upper and lower storagespaces 31 a and 32 a to be in contact to feed rollers 33 a, 33 b tofinish preparation for the document to be dispensed. Then, as shown inFIG. 16, delivery rollers 34 a, 34 b and feed rollers 33 a, 33 b arerotated to discharge the uppermost bill from upper or lower storagespaces 31 a or 32 a to main passageway 6.

As mentioned before, deflection lever 38 is already in the openposition, and conveyor motor 23 is rotated in the reverse direction.Here, when related upper or lower reversible motor 70 a or 70 b isrotated in the reverse direction in Step 129, the bill of thedenomination is smoothly discharged from upper or lower storage 31 a or32 a (in Step 130). Then, in Step 131, passage sensor 21 a detectswhether or not the discharged bill has passed passage sensor 21 a, andwhen passage sensor 21 a is turned off during passage of the bill, itforwards the off-detection signal to control device 200 that thendetermines whether or not a given period of time has elapsed afterpassage of the bill through passage sensor 21 a (in Step 132), and whenthe given period of time has elapsed, control device 200 stops driveupper or lower reversible motor 70 a or 70 b (in Step 133).

Subsequently, control device 200 determines whether it receives frompassage sensor 21 a an ON detection signal indicative of completepassage of the document in Step 134. When passage sensor 21 a detectspassage of the document's trailing edge, processing moves on to Step 135where control device 200 again rotates upper or lower reversible motor70 a or 70 b in the forward rotation to prevent successive dischargefrom upper or lower storage 31 a, 32 a of a subsequent document justbeneath the discharged document. After a certain period of time sinceupper or lower reversible motor 70 a or 70 b has been rotated in theforward direction, the process moves from Step 136 to 137 where controldevice 200 stops operation of related upper or lower reversible motor 70a or 70 b, and turns off related solenoid 251 or 252 in Step 138 toadvance to Step 139. Control device 200 determines in Step 139 whetheror not to receive another instruction signal for payment, and whencontrol device 200 receives the further instruction signal on payment,the process moves to Step 129. However, when it does not receive afurther instruction signal, control device 200 rotates lifter motor 80in the forward rotation (in Step 140) to return rod 83 to the lowerposition shown in FIG. 9, and then, control device 200 determines inStep 141 whether or not a certain period of time has elapsed afterturning off first and second lifter sensors 84 and 85. After the certainperiod of time, control device 200 ceases operation of lifter motor 80to finish the payment operation.

To remove storage 50 of stacker 3 from validator 2, it is pulled forwardof validator 2 so that follower gears 35 a, 35 b in storage 50 aredisengaged from drive gears 76 a, 76 b in main conveyor 4, whilesimultaneously, feed rollers 33 a, 33 b and pinch rollers 49 a, 49 b instorage 50 are released from main conveyor belt 40 in main conveyor 4.

As shown in FIGS. 2 and 4, stacker 3 includes a lever 39 rotatablymounted on a side wall 3 a of casing 30, and a cutout 39 a formed inlever 39 to releaseably hook cutout 39 a on a pin 90 attached to frame 2a of validator 2 to secure storage 50 to frame 2 a. When a handle 39 bconnected to lever 39 is pulled down while rotating lever 39, cutout 39a is released from pin 90 to detach storage 50 from frame 2 a.

Conversely, to attach storage 50 to validator 2, it is pushed intovalidator 2 so that upper and lower follower gears 35 a, 35 b in upperand lower reversible conveyors 53 and 54 are automatically brought intoengagement with drive gears 76 a, 76 b in main conveyor 4, andconcurrently, feed rollers 33 a, 33 b and pinch rollers 49 a, 49 b inupper and lower reversible conveyors 53 and 54 are automatically broughtinto contact to main conveyor belt 40 in main conveyor 4. Thus, firstand second reversible conveyors 53 and 54 in first and second stackers31 and 32 are removably and drivingly connected to upper and lowerreversible motors 70 a and 70 b in main conveyor 4.

FIGS. 20 to 22 depict another embodiment of lifter 180 having adifferent structure from that shown in FIG. 9. Lifter 180 includes alifter motor 80 attached to validator 2, a drive gear 210 mounted on anoutput shaft of lifter motor 80, a rotary encoder 201 integrally rotatedwith drive gear 210, an encoder sensor 202 for generating electricpulses during rotation of rotary encoder 201, a first follower gear 203meshed with drive gear 210, a second follower gear 204 mounted at theopposite end on the same shaft of first follower gear 203 for integralrotation, first, second and third intermediate gears 205, 206 and 207interlocking second follower gear 204 in series, a lifter pinion 208meshed with a third intermediate gear 207, and a rack gear 209 meshedwith lifter pinion 208 and vertically movable during rotation of lifterpinion 208. First intermediate gear 205 is releaseably meshed withsecond follower gear 204 so that first intermediate gear 205 isautomatically drivingly engaged with or disengaged from second follower204 when storage 50 is attached to or removed from validator 2. In asimilar manner to movement of upper and lower support plates 57 a, 57 bshown in FIG. 9, upper and lower support plates 57 a, 57 b may movebetween the lower position shown in FIG. 21 and the upper position shownin FIG. 22 to stow or discharge bills on upper or lower support plate 57a or 57 b. In synchronization with upward and downward movement of upperand lower support plates 57 a, 57 b, upper and lower bottom plates 55 aand 55 b may be rotated between the horizontal and tilted conditions sothat each uppermost document stored in upper and lower stackers 31, 32is in contact to corresponding feed rollers 33 when upper and lowerbottom plates 55 a, 55 b are in the tilted condition at the ready fordischarge of documents from upper and lower stackers 31, 32. Then, asshown in FIG. 16, simultaneous reverse rotations of upper and lower feedand delivery rollers 33 a, 33 b, 34 a and 34 b cause documents to bedischarged from upper and lower stackers 31 and 32 to main passageway 6.Control device 200 may receive and count pulses from rotary encoder 201so that control device 200 may stop operation of lifter motor 80 at thedesired number of pulses to stop upper and lower support plates 57 a, 57b at the desired position or may drive lifter motor 80 in the forward orreverse direction to move upper and lower support plates 57 a, 57 b inthe upward or downward directions.

The foregoing embodiments exemplify the conveyance structure forcarrying documents along main passageway 6 by means of main conveyorbelt 40. However, in lieu of or in addition to main conveyor belt 40,the embodiment may use combined main conveyor rollers and feed rollersand/or pinch rollers to carry bills along main passageway 6.

It should be understood that the details of a document handler 1 shownand described with respect to FIGS. 1-22 are exemplary of configurationsof particular embodiments of a document handler. However, documenthandlers may be otherwise configured for purposes of working with thedocument handler system and method with timed operation of the presentinvention. The details of a system of this type and a method ofoperation will now be described with respect to FIGS. 23-26.

FIG. 23 shows a networked system 300 of EGMs 305 a-305 x each includingan integrated document handler 1 for accepting documents in the form ofcurrency of various denominations and printed tickets. Each EGM 305 hasa number of other components including a display 310 and buttons 315shown on the outside of EGM 305 to allow a user to operate and interactwith EGM 305. It should be understood that while an EGM is shown anddescribed herein, document handler 1 may be included in a vendingmachine, an ATM, a change kiosk or another device that requires theacceptance of currency and/or documents such as printed tickets toactivate the device in which document handler 1 resides, Therefore, theinvention applies equally to a system of these other types of devicesusing document handler 1.

Networked system 300 also includes an external system 320 that is incommunication with each of EGMs 305 over a network 325. Network 325 maybe any type of network over which data is communicated including but notlimited to a Local Area Network (LAN), Wide Area Network (WAN), anintranet or the Internet. Other proprietary networks could also be usedwithout departing from the principles of the invention. This wouldinclude such networks as a Windows network or an Ethernet network.

External system 320 includes a controller 330 that controls operation ofexternal system 320. Controller 330 is connected to network 325 tocommunicate with each of EGMs 305. A memory 335 which may be in the formof a database is also included in external system 320. Memory 335 may beused to store data including unique codes that may be printed ontickets. A code represents a value in the form of credits for play of anEGM and the ticket may be inserted into any other EGM 305 connected tosystem 300 so that the player may use the credited value once a ticketis authenticated by document handler 1.

As stated above, document handler 1 as described is typically sold as anintegrated component with another device such as an EGM, a vendingmachine, an ATM, a change kiosk or another device that requires theacceptance of currency or documents to activate the device in whichdocument handler 1 resides. Alternatively, document handler 1 may besold separately and installed in a device for use by a purchaser. Ineither case, collection of the amount due to purchase document handler 1may be made as a single, one-time payment at the time of the sale or inthe form of one or more fixed payments with interest charges, as a leaseor under another payment plan agreed to between the seller and thepurchaser.

To ensure collection of payments where payments are made over time, thepresent invention is a document handler system and method with timedoperation. It is intended to have the document handler be operationalduring a particular time period that coincides with a payment and thento become non-operational when the time period expires in the event thatthe next payment has not been made. In this way, a purchaser isencouraged to make timely payments while the seller is ensured that thevalue of the document handler is not realized by the purchaser withoutproper payment for it.

Document Handler 1 includes a validator 2 that is capable of validatinga ticket inserted into document handler 1. In some cases, a player isusing a ticket to load credits on an EGM 305 from a previous session ofplay that is memorialized on a ticket printed by a ticket kiosk oranother EGM 305 with ticket printing capabilities. A ticket 400 of thistype is shown in FIG. 24. Ticket 400 includes an indication of the valueof the ticket 405 and a bar-code 410 representing a unique identifiercode so that the ticket can be tracked by system 320 which is verifiedby document handler 1 in a comparison between the code and thecorresponding code stored in memory 335 in system 320. Once verified,the value of ticket 400 is added to the credit meter of EGM 305 and isavailable for play by the player. The unique identifier code is randomlygenerated by system 320 at the time the ticket is printed by an EGM 305and stored in memory 335.

In the case where a ticket will be provided by the seller to thepurchaser to extend the time of operation of document handier 1, theticket will be in the form of a timing ticket 500, an example of whichis shown in FIG. 25. Timing ticket 500 includes a code which may be inthe form of a traditional bar code 505, a two dimensional bar code (notshown), a magnetic code (not shown) or another type of indicator that isunique to ticket 500. Code 505 on ticket 500 is compared against aunique code stored in document handler memory 515 (FIG. 19). The uniquecode may be stored in memory 515 at or before the sale of documenthandier 1. Alternatively, it may be placed in memory 515 at a later timethrough a secure link to external system 320 over network 325, directlythrough port 510 (e.g. USB) or through a wireless link such as a nearfield communication port 512 to control device 200 on document handler1. Timing ticket 500 may also include other information such as avalidation date 520, a ticket number 525, a time amount 530 in hours,days or another time period, and any other information that may bedesired by the seller that seeks to control the activation of documenthandler 1.

Timing ticket 500 may be provided to the purchaser at an appropriatetime prior to the expiration of the current time period during whichdocument handler 1 is still operational. For example, if a documenthandler has been purchased with a financing plan that requires a monthlypayment, the purchaser receives a timing ticket for the following monthupon receipt by the seller (or financing entity) of payment for the nextmonth. Timing ticket 500 may be sent by mail, or it may beelectronically transmitted in or attached to an email, text message, orother electronic transmission. An electronic device such as a dedicatedelectronic code transmitter, a computer including but not limited to alaptop, a netbook, or a tablet computer, or a mobile device such as asmartphone may be used to connect to port 510 (e.g. USB) or a wirelessconnection (e.g. NFC port) 512 to receive a signal from the electronicdevice with the code to activate document handler 1. If payment is notreceived in a timely manner and a timing ticket is not used to extendthe operation of document handler 1, document handler 1 will becomeinactive.

The time period itself is embedded in code 505. Once code 505 is read byvalidator sensor 10 of validator 2, controller 200 compares code 505 tothe set of unique activation codes stored in memory 515. If the code isvalid, controller 200 tracks pulses from clock 514 to synchronize thetime period from code 505. When the time period expires, the documenthandler 1 is automatically de-activated if a new code is not input and atime period is not reset. The count value is equivalent to the desiredtime period corresponding to a number of clock pulses. Clock pulses maybe counted until the count value is reached, or alternatively if thecount value may be the starting point and each clock pulse will causethe count value to be decremented until it reaches zero.

In another application of timing ticket 500, document handler operationsmay be timed to determine an appropriate warranty period. There aresituations where a warranty period does not start on the date of sale,but instead starts when a device in which document handler 1 resides issold or placed in the market for commercial operation. For example, ifan EGM manufacturer purchases document handler 1 and places documenthandler 1 in an EGM on its assembly line, the warranty period for thatdocument handler may not begin until the EGM is sold and placed foroperation in a gaming establishment. This may create a time period ofdays, week or months between the sale of document handler 1 and the EGMto a gaming establishment operator. In such a case, it is desirable toprovide certainty as to the warranty period. This may be accomplished byproviding a timing ticket to gaming establishment operator which may beinserted into document handler 1 when that document handler is firstturned on for use in the gaming establishment

As with the timing described above for de-activating document handler 1,clock 514 (FIG. 19) may be used to track a time period over which thewarranty will be valid starting with the time that the timing ticket isinserted into document handler 1. Once inserted, an elapsed time will betracked and the warranty will expire after a predetermined time periodhas elapsed. The document handler manufacturer or the gamingestablishment operator may access the current count maintained bycontroller 200 at any time through port 510 or near field communicationport 512 to check on the status of the warranty period. The warrantyperiod may be measured in any number of ways, including but not limitedto: a) an absolute number of hours, days, months or years from the timethat the warranty period is started (e.g. 4,000 hours as shown on timingticket 500 in FIG. 25); b) an amount of time that document handler 1 hasactually been turned on and in use since the warranty period started; orc) the handling of a predefined number of transactions where documentsare inserted into document handler 1, the count of which may also betracked by controller 200.

FIG. 26 is a flow chart 2600 showing the steps for use of a timingticket. At the beginning of a new cycle such as for example, power-up,bill insertion, etc., validator 1 is initialized at step 2605. After thenew cycle begins, validator 1 checks whether an enable condition existsat step 2610. As discussed above, this would occur when a ticket 500 hasbeen inserted enabling validator 1 at the beginning of a cycle, or wherea cycle has already been initiated in which validator 1 was enabled fora time period or for a number of transactions, the maximum value forwhich have not yet been reached. If an enable condition is satisfied atstep 2615, the flow is directed through a sequence of steps branchingfrom step 2615 for a “yes” response to the enable condition beingsatisfied. If an enable condition is not satisfied (e.g. the validatorhas reached the end of a time period or a maximum number oftransactions), a second sequence of steps occurs at step 2615, the flowis directed through a sequence of steps branching from 2615 for a “no”response.

Along the first branch where a “yes” response indicates the enablecondition is satisfied, the flow proceeds such that validator 1 operatesin normal mode at step 2620. From there, an event check is triggered invalidator 1 at step 2625 to determine whether it is being used accordingto the “terms of use” or “license” between the owner/licensor of thevalidator and the user/licensee. A set of terms under a license that maybe checked includes but is not limited to: (1) downloading new firmware;(2) power up condition; (3) detection of swapping of parts in validator1; (4) bill insertion; (5) bill stacking activity; (6) swapping of acashbox; or (7) passage of time. For each event, a check is made todetermine whether the user is in compliance with the terms. Thecompliance check may include a variety of items on which to check atstep 2630: (1) change of country; (2) change of protocol; (3) change ofhost machine, which may be detected by machine number, some type ofhardware signature, or other means; (4) change of game maker(potentially detected by protocol behavior such as poll rate, sequenceof initialization commands during power up or bill transactions, etc.);(5) change of bill validator serial number; (6) threshold number oftransactions; (7) acceptance rate; (8) jam rate; (9) stall or slowmotor; (10) encoder problem; (11) service calls or specific servicedone; (12) condition or quality of the LEDs (e.g. a high gain valueindicates that the LEDs are becoming too dim for optimal functionality);(13) preventative maintenance failure where a customer does not maintainvalidator 1 within a specified time period; or (14) CRC error.

If compliance is met on all checks in step 2635, validator 1 is returnedto normal run mode at step 2620 as indicated by a “yes” response to thequestion of whether validator 1 is in compliance at step 2635. Ifvalidator 1 is found to be non-compliant at step 2635, the enablecondition is set to disable at step 2640 and the flow is sent to step2645.

Going back to step 2615 where an enable condition is not satisfied (e.g.the validator has reached the end of a time period or a maximum numberof transactions), the flow is directed through a sequence of stepsbranching from 2615 for a “no” response. The disabled condition isreported to the host at step 2645 and sounds or lights can be used toindicate the disabled condition on validator 1. To overcome the disabledcondition, it is necessary to insert an enable ticket 500 or otherwiseenable validator 1 from an external source at step 2650 using anelectronic transmission including an enable signal. Electronictransmissions may come from a standalone hardware device, a computer orcomputing device, or server running a software application or softwarepackage or system. Transmission of the enable signal may be through awireless interface including but not limited to Bluetooth, NFC, etc. ora wired interface including but not limited to serial, USB, etc. Theenable signal may be embedded in a device which is inserted or attachedto the validator. The code itself may be specific to the particularvalidator 1 and set to work only with the particular validator 1. Inother cases, a group code may be used, for example, to start thewarranty on a group of validators that are first installed and becomeoperational at the same time in a new establishment. In another case, adevice such as a server may manage a group of validators or devices suchthat it may generate or manage an arbitrary number of codes or licensesor tokens such that the server will only enable or allow to be enabledup to a specified number of bill validators at any given time. Once avalid code has been supplied to validator 1, validator 1 checks the codeat step 2655. If it is a valid code, validator 1 is enabled orre-enabled at step 2660 and then back to the start of the cycle at step2605. If the code is invalid, the flow returns to step 2645 where adisable condition is reported and the flow continues from there.

While the invention has been described with respect to the figures, itwill be appreciated that many modifications and changes may be made bythose skilled in the art without departing from the spirit of theinvention. The invention is intended to provide flexibility with respectto the activation or de-activation of the document handler for differentreasons and at other times. For example, in the event that a counterfeitbill problem has arisen with respect to a particular denomination ofbills such as a $100 bill. In that case, an operator of the documenthandler or the manufacturer may partially deactivate the documenthandler using the invention. A set of codes may be included in memory505 that instruct the document handler to partially de-activate.Insertion of a timing ticket with the particular code will cause suchde-activation. Similarly, a corresponding activation code may be used tore-activate the document handler upon the problem being resolved. Anyvariation and derivation from the above description and drawings areincluded in the scope of the present invention as defined by the claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. A document handling system for a gaming device, comprising: an inlet for receiving documents; a validation passageway for guiding the documents inserted into the inlet; a validation conveyor for transporting the documents along the validation passageway; a validation sensor for detecting optical or magnetic features of the documents transported along the validation passageway to produce detection signals; a network communication port configured to communicate with an external system; a control device in communication with the network communication port; and a clock in electronic communication with the control device for tracking a license time period of a license to use the document handling system; wherein: the control device is configured to store a first determination whether the license time period has elapsed; the control device is configured to store a second determination whether the document handling system is being used in compliance with the license while the license time period has not elapsed wherein the second determination includes evaluating at least one of: a change of country, a change of protocol, a change of host machine, a change of game maker detected by protocol behavior, a change of bill validator serial number, an acceptance rate, a jam rate, a stall, a slow motor, an encoder problem, a service call, a condition of a light-emitting diode, a preventative maintenance failure, or a cyclic redundancy check error; the document handling system is configured to reject a received document when the first determination indicates that the license time period has elapsed or the second determination indicates that the document handling system is not in compliance with the license; and otherwise, the document handling system is configured to accept the received document.
 2. The document handling system of claim 1, wherein the document handling system transmits a notice associated with rejection of the received document to the external system.
 3. The document handling system of claim 1, wherein the document handling system reports a notice of a disabled condition for the document handling system to the external system upon rejection of the received document.
 4. The document handling system of claim 1, wherein the control device is further configured to: receive an enable command from the external system; and extend the license time period in response to the enable command.
 5. The document handling system of claim 1, wherein the protocol behavior includes a poll rate or a sequence of initialization commands during power up or bill transactions.
 6. The document handling system of claim 1, wherein the license time period tracked by the clock corresponds to a financial payment.
 7. The document handling system of claim 1, wherein the received document is a ticket.
 8. A document handling system for a gaming device, comprising: an inlet for receiving documents; a validation passageway for guiding the documents inserted into the inlet; a validation conveyor for transporting the documents along the validation passageway; a validation sensor for detecting optical or magnetic features of the documents transported along the validation passageway to produce detection signals; a network communication port configured to communicate with an external system; a control device in communication with the network communication port; and a clock in electronic communication with the control device for tracking a license time period of a license to use the document handling system; wherein: the control device is configured to store a first determination whether the license time period has elapsed; the control device is configured to store a second determination whether the document handling system is being used in compliance with the license wherein the second determination includes evaluating at least one of: a change of country, a change of protocol, a change of host machine, a change of game maker detected by protocol behavior, a change of bill validator serial number, an acceptance rate, a jam rate, a stall, a slow motor, an encoder problem, a service call, a condition of a light-emitting diode, a preventative maintenance failure, or a cyclic redundancy check error; and the document handling system is configured to reject a received document when the first determination indicates that the license time period has elapsed or the second determination indicates that the document handling system is not in compliance with the license.
 9. The document handling system of claim 8, wherein the document handling system is configured to switch to a disabled condition when the license time period has elapsed or when the document handling system is not in compliance with the license.
 10. The document handling system of claim 9, wherein the document handling system transmits a notification of the disabled condition to the external system.
 11. The document handling system of claim 8, wherein: the received document is a ticket; and the document handling system is configured to accept currency received after determining that the license time period has elapsed.
 12. The document handling system of claim 8, wherein the document handling system is configured to switch to a disabled condition upon receipt of a signal from the external system.
 13. The document handling system of claim 8, wherein the document handling system is configured to process types of documents other than a ticket and currency.
 14. The document handling system of claim 8, wherein the control device is configured to determine at least one of whether the license time period has elapsed or whether the document handling system is being used in compliance with the license to use the document handling system by communicating with the external system.
 15. A document handling system for a gaming device, comprising: an inlet for receiving documents; a validation passageway for guiding a document inserted into the inlet; a validation conveyor for transporting the document along the validation passageway; a validation sensor for detecting optical or magnetic features of the document transported along the validation passageway to produce detection signals; a network communication port configured to communicate with an external system; a control device in communication with the network communication port; and a clock in electronic communication with the control device for tracking a license time period of a license to use the document handling system; wherein: the control device is configured to store a first determination whether the license time period has elapsed; the control device is configured to store a second determination whether the document handling system is being used in compliance with the license while the license time period has not elapsed wherein the second determination includes evaluating at least one of: a change of country, a change of protocol, a change of host machine, a change of game maker detected by protocol behavior, a change of bill validator serial number, an acceptance rate, a jam rate, a stall, a slow motor, an encoder problem, a service call, a condition of a light-emitting diode, a preventative maintenance failure, or a cyclic redundancy check error; and the document handling system is configured to accept or reject a received document based upon the first determination or the second determination.
 16. The document handling system of claim 15, wherein: the received document is a first document of a first type; and the document handling system processes a second document of a second type regardless of the first determination and the second determination.
 17. The document handling system of claim 15, wherein: the received document is a first document of a first type; and the document handling system processes a second document when the second determination indicates that the document handling system is not in compliance with the license.
 18. The document handling system of claim 17, wherein the document handling system processes the second document when the second determination indicates that the document handling system is in compliance with the license.
 19. The document handling system of claim 17, wherein: the first document is a first type of ticket; and the second document is a second type of ticket.
 20. The document handling system of claim 15, wherein the control device receives at least one of the first determination or the second determination from the external system. 